Sen Amy Klobuchar has addressed claims from former staffers that she mistreats and embarrasses her aides.

'Yes, I can be tough, and yes I can push people, I know that' Klobuchar told reporters following her snowy Minnesota rally Sunday where she announced her bid for president.

'I have high expectations for myself, I have high expectations for the people that work for me, but I have high expectations for this country, and that's what we need'

Klobuchar, 58, did not deny the accusations but instead said 'I love our staff' after multiple former staffers painted her in a light far from her kind and laid-back persona.

Sen Amy Klobuchar announced her bid for the presidency Sunday in Minnesota

'In the end, there are so many great stories of our staff that have been with me for years who have gone on to do incredible things,' Klobuchar told reporters.

Multiple former staffers told the Huffington Post Wednesday that at least three people have turned down the chance to run her campaign because of the stories about her.

Staff describe the senator as a demanding boss who sends dozens of emails over night accusing of them of bad work - CCing multiple colleagues to publicly shame them - and using aides to perform personal tasks such as washing dishes at her home or picking up her dry cleaning.

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One staffer even recalled how the senator would write out tardy slips to staffers who came to the office late.

Long hours, being pulled into personal tasks, and temper tantrums can and does happen in offices on Capitol Hill where the political pressure turns the professional environment into a pressure cooker.

And staffers are generally over worked and under paid compared to members of Congress. Klobuchar's Senate salary is $174,000.

Other former staffers, however, defended the senator, saying she puts in long hours and demands that her office meet the high standards she sets for herself.

Klobuchar was been accused of being demeaning and cruel to her staff just says before she announced her presidential campaign

Staff describe Klobuchar as a demanding boss who accuses of them of bad work and uses aides to perform personal tasks such as washing dishes

Some questioned whether former co-workers who thought she was abusive were falling for sexist stereotypes about female leaders with high standards.

'I've heard people say she's tough to work for and I sometimes cringe when I hear it because I rarely hear that said about male bosses in Congress despite the fact that half of Congress is tough to work for,' Tristan Brown, a former legislative aide who called Klobuchar 'probably the most brilliant, hardworking person I've had the privilege to work for,' told the Huffington Post.

A troubling sign, however, is that Klobuchar's office has one of the highest rates of staff turnover in the Senate.

From 2001 to 2016, she was No. 1 in the Senate for staff turnover as measured by LegiStorm, a widely used database of congressional staff information. She's now third.

Her campaign defended the senator as someone who 'loves her staff.'

'Senator Klobuchar loves her staff - they are the reason she has gotten to where she is today,' a campaign spokesperson told Huffington Post.

'She has many staff who have been with her for years - including her Chief of Staff and her State Director, who have worked for her for 5 and 7 years respectively - and many who have gone on to do amazing things, from working in the Obama Administration (over 20 of them) to running for office to even serving as the Agriculture Commissioner for Minnesota. She is proud of them and the work they have done for Minnesota.'

Klobuchar made her announcement to run for president on a snow-filled day in Minneapolis, in a speech that countered the Trump's policies on climate change and immigration along with knocking his divisive tone in politics